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It is fairly commonly accepted that the nunchaku originates from Okinawa, the largest in a long chain of small islands between Southern Japan and Taiwan Throughout it's history, Okinawa was colonized, influenced, and occupied by various world powers, while it attempted to maintain its independence. Okinawa today is a part of Japan, but the Okinawans are not Japanese. They have their own culture and language (Okinawan), although the latter is gradually being replaced by Japanese. Until this day, it is a mystery how the nunchaku was invented on this island. There are several theories however that try to explain what has happened. | 
The Island of Okinawa, home of the Nunchaku
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Many presume that the nunchaku has descended from a craftsman tool. Most named are a rice flail, a horse bit and a cutting device for stripping bark from trees. Others believe it was used as a rattle by night guards, which in case of alarm was swung in the air to make a loud noise. Another theory involves the influence of the Chinese martial arts during the 13 - 14th century. In this period there was a wave of Chinese immigrants to Okinawa.
 Chinese Characters which are pronounced in Okinawan as Nunchakun
| The Chinese mainly settled in the city of Kumemura, where they practiced with a nunchaku-like weapon they called shuang jie gun, which means "two member stick" or "double part baton".
This theory is supported by the fact that the Okinawans pronounce the Chinese Characters for shuang jie gun, as nunchakun. |
In the same time period, Okinawa was divided into three kingdoms: Hokuzan, Chuzan, and Nanzan. These kingdoms lived in constant rivalry. In the year 1429, the king Sho Hashi founded the Sho dynasty, by uniting these three kingdoms. To gain control over the island, the Japanese lord dictated a decree to confiscate all fighting weapons from the Okinawa’s natives. Nevertheless, Okinawa was a violent place with bloody internal conflicts, crime, piracy and many foreign invasions.
Weapons of Kobudo | Since the Okinawa natives could not bare arms like swords and bows, they started studying hand-to-hand combat. This eventually evolved into what we now know as Karate-do. They also started to train with the tools they wére allowed to use. These tools can still be found in Kobudo today: the tonfa, sai, bo, tama and or course the nunchaku. Karate and Kobudo were, by their nature, to be kept from the uninitiated. Thus, there are but few historical records and the arts were conveyed almost entirely through transmission from master to student. |
Until 1879 that is, when the dynasty fell and Okinawa officially became part of Japan. New institutions came into effect and Karate and Kobudo were incorporated into the public education system. A movement followed to introduce these arts to the general public. During the Taisho Era (1910-1926), many demonstrations were organized throughout the mainland of Japan. Karate and Kobudo became very popular throughout Japan. At the end of World War II, US military troops were stationed on different locations in Japan. As a pastime, soldiers started to train in Karate and Kobudo. Once back in the USA, many started their own martial arts schools. In a few decades, Karate and Kobudo were spread around the world. The nunchaku followed in their path and found its way to the global population.
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